Address by the Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, at the First BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meeting, at the Arabella Hotel and SPA in Kleinmond
Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation,
Minister Prof Marco Antonio Raupp of the Federative Republic of Brazil,
Minister Ludmila Ogorodova of the Russian Federation,
Minister Prof Wan Gang of the People's Republic of China,
Secretary Dr Ramasami of the Republic of India,
Ambassadors and High Commissioners of BRICS,
Distinguished BRICS country delegations,
Members of the media,
Ladies and gentlemen.
It is a huge privilege to host this first BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meeting. I am truly delighted to welcome you to our beautiful country.
On 27 March 2013 the leaders of our countries adopted the eThekwini Declaration and Action Plan at the Fifth BRICS Summit in Durban, which, among other things, mandated us to convene the first BRICS ministerial meeting on science, technology and innovation.
I am extremely pleased that we have managed to achieve this important milestone in less than one year. This is a clear demonstration of our commitment to intensify cooperation in science, technology and innovation within the BRICS framework.
The BRICS countries are recognized as the future growth engines of the world economy and will, it is estimated, account for 50% of global gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020. It is clear that this kind of expansion will necessarily need to be accompanied by enhanced levels of technological integration into the global community and, without a doubt, will create huge opportunities for science, technology and innovation as critical growth and development drivers of the future.
Since the Third BRICS Summit in Sanya, China, in 2011, BRICS member countries have established a number of working mechanisms to support the STI sector. These mechanisms include the BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Senior Officials Meeting; the STI Working Group, country coordinators and nodal points. To date three senior officials meetings have been convened - in Dalian in 2011, in Pretoria in 2012, and in New Delhi in December last year.
The high-level meeting of Ministers taking place today represents the culmination of the process of operationalising the working mechanisms of the science, technology and innovation sector.
Ever since the election of our great icon, Nelson Mandela, to lead South Africa’s first democratic government, science, technology and innovation, have played an important role in South Africa’s efforts to advance development, fight poverty and enhance competitiveness.
The need to move towards a more knowledge based economy is strongly emphasised in our country's National Development Plan. Although great strides have been in South Africa's science and technology landscape, a number of challenges still confront us, such as the need to increase our national R&D expenditure and to foster a more enabling culture for entrepreneurship.
But we can collectively, and rightfully, be proud of some of our achievements during our 20 years of democracy.
I thought it appropriate to briefly reflect on some of these achievements, not in order to celebrate them, but to highlight them as some of the contributions South Africa is able to bring to the BRICS science, technology and innovation partnership.
International cooperation has consistently been an important aspect of our various national research and innovation programmes and strategies. Today South Africa has a rich and diverse portfolio of international science and technology partnerships. Amongst these, we regard our bilateral relations with Brazil, China, India and Russia, and the strengthening of cooperation within the BRICS framework, as a strategic priority of the greatest importance.
Our BRICS science, technology and innovation partnership has enormous potential to bolster the existing strong political and economic relations between our countries, whilst at the same time contributing to global sustainable development. We will, however, only achieve this ambition if we are able to successfully complement and leverage our respective national knowledge, geographic and other advantages and strengths.
That is, of course, one of the tenets of our partnerships - by working together through the BRICS STI partnership we can achieve our goal of becoming a powerful force for growth, development and discovery. There are many strategic opportunities for cooperation. I would like to touch on some of these opportunities by identifying some of South Africa’s potential contributions.
With respect to the exchange of information on STI policies and programmes, and fostering common research and innovation partnerships, there are a few strategic areas where South Africa sees potential not only for synergies, but real opportunities for extensive cooperation within the BRICS STI format.
Biotechnology and health innovations
The bioeconomy offers great opportunities to address some of our most pressing societal challenges. Its value lies not only in reducing the burden of chronic and infectious diseases, but also in waste management, biofuel production and food security. Just last month we launched our country's Bioeconomy Strategy. We believe this will assist us in unlocking the massive potential that lies in our biological resources.
Russia has historically been a strong player in the bio-pharmaceutical industry and offers an attractive environment for research, development and manufacturing, as well as the benefits of a highly qualified workforce. Brazil has made significant advances in agricultural biotechnology and is among the leading countries in ethanol research and production. Both India and China have strong traditions in indigenous knowledge systems and have impressive biotechnology and health innovation programmes.
There is already excellent cooperation between BRICS members in the area of health innovation. As part of the global effort to combat diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Brazil, India and South Africa have made significant progress in the production of generic antiretroviral drugs. Rapid drug discovery, drug development, the validation of traditional therapies and advances in diagnostics, genomics, proteomics and stem-cell technology are some of the areas in which the BRICS STI partnership has the potential to make a real difference in the global endeavour to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in health.
International collaboration is critically important in health research. South Africa and India are hosting components of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. Over the past few years, there has been international acclaim for South African successes, such as the discovery at the University of Cape Town of a novel chemical compound which has exciting potential to impact on both the control and eradication of malaria.
Ground-breaking discoveries are emerging from a clinical trial conducted on a microbicidal gel. The results showed a 39% effective in preventing HIV infection in women who were exposed to unprotected sex. Some of the unexpected discoveries in this research could potentially offer major advances in the global fight against HIV-AIDS. You will hear more about this in the near future.
There are, without a doubt, exciting prospects for deepened BRICS cooperation in the life sciences, and we are looking forward to contributing our own expertise and infrastructure to this partnership.
Space science and technology
In the area of space science and technology, it is widely recognized that the BRICS partners are in the forefront of global advances. Russia, we all know, started space exploration with the launch of "Sputnik" in 1959, and also put the first man, Yuri Gagarin, into Earth's orbit in 1961.
Today, only Russia carries out manned launches to the international space station and has dramatically reduced the time it takes to reach the station from three days to six hours. China and India have also had great successes recently with their respective space programmes. I would also like to congratulate China on the successful landing on the Moon of the "Jade Rabbit" rover vehicle, and India on the successful launch of its Mars probe. Brazil also has an ambitious and inspiring space programme.
South Africa is investing in space science through the South African National Space Agency and its programmes, and the generation and utilization of earth observation data. Recently, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, celebrated the launch of a nano-satellite designed and built by its students.
Along with China, as one of the co-chairs, South Africa plays an important leadership role in the Group on Earth Observation and its development of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. I recently chaired part of the proceedings of the GEO Ministerial Summit, and would like to reiterate our commitment to continue providing leadership to ensure that we optimally harness the potential of Earth observation to inform science-based decision-making.
Astronomy
Astronomy is arguably the flagship science and technology success story of democratic South Africa. As you are aware, South Africa will be hosting, with Australia, the Square Kilometer Array, the world’s biggest radio telescope and one of the signature global science projects of the 21stcentury. Tomorrow it will be my pleasure to welcome you to the site where the SKA will be built and where currently South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope is being constructed.
The MeerKAT will eventually be integrated into the SKA, but, until such time, it will in its own right be one the most powerful radio telescopes in the world. The world’s leading radio astronomers, including from our BRICS countries, have already been allocated time for pioneering observation missions to be conducted with MeerKAT. These observations will expand our understanding of the universe and will be frontier science in the truest sense of the word – material for possible future Nobel Prize winners.
South Africa does not only offer ideal geographic and climatic conditions for the construction and operation of large-scale astronomy facilities, but has developed and is rapidly expanding related science and engineering expertise. The work done by the MeerKAT engineers in developing computing solutions for the telescope has attracted the attention of major multinational companies. South Africa is now actively involved in global science efforts to manage and exploit big data.
Our astronomy programme is making a major contribution to the development of science capacities across the African continent. As you probably know, eight African partner countries will host components of the SKA. In preparation, South Africa is supporting extensive human capital development programmes with the partner countries. These efforts have already been rewarded by the development of a new impressive cohort of young, talented African scientists and engineers.
South Africa continues to play a leadership role in the science, technology and innovation programmes of the African Union – we were the founding chair of the African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology and over the past decade have invested significantly in pan-African initiatives such as the African Laser Centre and the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences.
We also have numerous bilateral science and technology partnerships with partner countries across the African continent. Our BRICS partners of course have their own substantial cooperation with other African nations, but we stand ready to contribute our extensive relations and experience of cooperation in support of BRICS cooperation with the rest of Africa. I have no doubt we are on the eve of an exciting new era for science, technology and innovation in Africa – and our partnership will play an important part.
New and renewable energy
As the future engines of global growth, BRICS countries will need reliable access to modern energy services to power their rapidly growing economies, while at the same time containing the environmental impact. This will require different approaches to meeting our energy needs and diversifying energy sources and infrastructure.
Currently South Africa is exploring a wide range of energy efficient measures and innovations that could impact on future energy generation and consumption. A few days ago, for example, we launched a demonstration plant to showcase locally developed thin-film solar module technology.
BRICS member countries are among the top industrialized countries that are currently exploring energy efficient technologies as they seek to reduce their carbon footprint. South Africa would gain tremendously from BRICS cooperation on energy efficient technologies and we see great potential for the establishment of BRICS R&D programmes and technology transfer partnerships in this strategic area. Again, we stand ready to contribute our experience and expertise.
Our national hydrogen and fuel cells technologies programme is starting to deliver impressive results, with partnerships being formed with global industry to exploit commercialization opportunities. This is another example where the consistent investment and strategic focus by our Government in a science and technology area is being rewarded.
Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to turn to the expected outcomes of this BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meeting. In our deliberations later today, we will examine the modalities of cooperation and priority areas that are embodied in the BRICS Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation, which will be signed later this year at the Sixth BRICS Summit in Brazil. We will also adopt the Cape Town Declaration – the first BRICS declaration on science, technology and innovation cooperation.
Our meeting will help us identify positions of mutual interest and determine the key areas for science, technology and innovation cooperation. Given that technological innovation and competitiveness is such a decisive factor in the rapidly changing global environment, it is essentialthat the BRICS science, technology and innovation priorities should be people-centred and driven by the public good. We also believe that our cooperation should be driven by our shared commitment to enhancing equitable growth and sustainable development.
The BRICS memorandum of understanding will serve as a strategic intergovernmental framework. Its main objective will be to strengthen cooperation in science, technology and innovation, and addressing common global and regional socio-economic challenges using shared experiences and complementarities; co-generation of new knowledge and innovative products, services and processes using appropriate funding and investment instruments; and, where appropriate, promoting joint BRICS partnerships with other strategic partners in the developing world.
The MOU will provides for a wide spectrum of priorities, including food security and sustainable agriculture; climate change and natural disaster mitigation; new and renewable energy, and energy efficiency; nanotechnology; high-performance computing; basic research; biomedicine and life sciences; water resources and pollution treatment; high-tech zones or science parks and incubators; technology transfer; science popularisation; information and communication technologies; clean coal technologies; and natural gas and non-conventional gases.
However, we will need to make choices if we are to establish meaningful joint initiatives – this will be one of the topics for our discussion in our closed session.
The memorandum also makes provision for sharing and exchanging information on policies and strategies and the formulation of joint long-term, problem-focused programmes, as well as supporting the establishment of BRICS mechanisms that enhance technology and knowledge transfer among member countries.
Conclusion
Honourable Ministers and distinguished guests, I wish to conclude by expressing my deep desire that this first BRICS Science, Technology, and Innovation Ministerial Meeting and its vision statement - the Cape Town Declaration - will lay a solid foundation in support of the realization of our shared goal of promoting equitable growth and sustainable development throughout the world.
Thank you!
